Community Recognizes Hawaii's Service Members

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sean Furey, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Det. Hawaii

HONOLULU (NNS) -- The Hawaii Chamber of Commerce honored service members during The 26th Annual Military Recognition Luncheon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on May 19.

The event was held in conjunction with Military Appreciation Month and awarded service members for their outstanding actions in community service, paid tribute to the surviving members of the Army 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team and recognized the Hawaii appointees accepted to service academies and recipients of four-year ROTC scholarships.

Seven service members, including two Sailors, were awarded during the presentation of Outstanding Service Members in Community Service.

Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Nicholas Angelo Messina, assigned to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class Xavier Harvey, assigned to U.S. Pacific Command Headquarters, were awarded among others for their outstanding service in their community.

Messina has been involved in such activities as the Special Olympics, Totally Against Graffiti (TAG) and coordinated and volunteered over 200 hours at the Pearl City Elementary School in support of the command's Adopt-A-School project.

"There are a lot of barriers between us and the community, and people don't know what's going on inside the gate," said Messina. "It was an honor that I will never forget, being able to show the civilians what we have done for the community. None of this would have ever been possible without the community and my command's full support"

Students from local high schools were then recognized for their acceptance to the service academies and four year ROTC Scholarships.

"I was proud to see the caliber of people that are coming out of Hawaii and going into our academies," said Messina. "They were all top notch."

Air Force Capt. Christy Stravalo, the Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs officer, and the Mistress of Ceremonies, along with Jim Tollefson, the president of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the service members and their guests to the event.

"A heartfelt mahalo goes to the WWII veterans from the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who have joined us today," said Tollefson. "They are, as all our servicemen and women, true heroes."

Before the end of the lunch, the sponsors for the event took time to thank the service members of the past, present and future for volunteering to defend their country.

"You have adopted our islands as your home, and our aloha spirit as your own, generously volunteering your time and skills to nurture our communities and make them better places to live," said Stanley M. Kuriyama, the president and CEO of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., one of the sponsors of the luncheon.